Conical-plate railroad-car spring



SPEED & BAILEY.

Car Spring.

No. 13,552. Patented Sept. 11, 1855.

UNIT

ATS Area FFTDE.

J. J. SPEED, JR., AND J. A. BAILEY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

CONICAL-PLATE RAILROAD-CAR SPRING.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, J. J. SPEED, Jr., and J. A. BAILEY, of Detroit, inthe county of lVayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Conical or Dish-Shaped Disk Car-Springs; and we dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawingsmaking a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is an elevationof our improve ment. Fig. 2, is a vertical section of one set of plates.Fig. 3, is a diagram showing a position of the plates different to theposition shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4, is a plan or top view of one of theplates.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

Our improvement has reference to the well known metallic conical or dishshaped disk spring that possesses many advantages over the elliptic orother strip spring for various constructions of cars, locomotives, andother carriages, but which have heretofore been held defective by reasonof the tendency of the disks forming the spring when under compressionto split or open at their edges in consequence of the plates or disksbeing restricted to radial construction and expansion and having nocircular as it were compensating for the radial elongation of the fiber.To remedy this defect in this peculiar kind of spring, to which aloneour invention has reference, the disks or conical plates have been madewith a radial slot or opening in them for the one half of theirdiameter, which admitted of free circular compensation, but such aconstruction is bad, as the plate or disk being thus cut through oralready broken for half its diameter is materially weakened and such aconstruction involves inequality in the elasticity of the disk allaround, a feature of paramount importance and which affects theadvantageous peculiarity of the disk spring. Our improvementon suchsprings effects the desideratum specified of providing circularcompensation for the radial elongation or contraction of the fiberwithout weakening the plates by radial slot or otherwise, but rather,for the same weight of metal, giving increased strength, and withoutproducing inequality of elasticity all around, and efi'ectuallypreventing the splitting of the plates or disks at their edges andstrainage of them.

To enable others skilled in the art to fully understand and constructour invention, we will proceed to describe it.

A, represents conical or dish shaped plates constructed of steel of asuitable thickness. Each plate is corrugated in a radial manner. Theremay be more or less corrugations, eight are represented in the drawings.The corrugations should be regular on the prominences should correspondwith the depressions so that the periphery of each plate will form aregular wave line, see Figs. 1 and 3.

The plates are placed upon a pin B, which passes through their cutters,the lower end of the pin being attached to the truck frame C, and theupper end passing through a bolster D, on which the car rests.

In Fig. 1, the plates are placed together in pairs, the edges of eachpair being in contact and the prominences of one plate fitting in thedepressions of the other forming a chamber or space between each pair toallow for the necessary depression or contraction of the plates, seeFig. 2. Two pairs of plates are represented in Fig. 1, one pair restingupon the other, but more may be used if necessary.

In Fig. 3, variation of the position of the plates is shown. Thedepressions at the edges of the plates are in contact. Each pair ofplates A, vibrate or spring toward and from each other, in consequenceof the weight upon them, and the corrugations al low the fibers of themetal plates to expand and contract so that the plates will not bebroken or strained in consequence. If the plates were not corrugated,they would be liable to split or break at their edges.

Flat circular steel plates have been used for car springs but they areliable to break, for the reason above stated. Circular plates have alsobeen used with a radial slot cut in them, but this destroys in a greatmeasure their elasticity and causes an unequal pressure upon the fibersof the plates.

If the edges of each pair of plates are placed together as shown in Fig.3, greater elasticity will be obtained, but the strength of the plateswill be proportionally diminished, still, this mode may be preferable insome cases, for city cars which are comparatively small and light.

In some cases it may be necessary to increase the strength of theplates, when adjusted, as shown in Fig. 1, and smaller auxiliary platesE, may be used see Figs. 2 and 4t, corrugated precisely similar to theplates A, and fitted on or over or between them forming a set of platesinstead of a pair.

The above invention is designed to supersede the ordinary india rubbersprings. They can be made so as to occupy no more space, and they may beapplied to the cars in much the same way, occupying the same position;The expense will be trifling and they will not be affected by variationsin temperature, as the india rubber springs, which are in general use,on account of their cheapness only.

As compared wit-h other metal conical or dish shaped disk springssimilarly arranged, it is obvious that the corru ations (radial) in theplates do not simply allect the strength of the spring but give thatfree circular compensation for the radial contraction or expansion ofthe fiber which is necessary to prevent the splitting of the edges ofthe disks in such springs, and this by strengthening, instead ofweakening the spring plates as has before been done by radial slots or anumber of splits or openings made in the edges of the plates.

We do not claim merely corrugating springs, as such has before beendone; but

What We do claim as new and useful in metal conical or dish shaped diskcar springs arranged in sets or pairs one above the other as describedis- Preventing the splitting of the edges of the disks by expansion andeffecting free circular unbroken compensation or lateral play for theradial elongation of the fiber or fibers when the spring is exposed tosudden or heavy compression, and insuring equality of elasticity allaround, by making the disks with radial corrugations and arranging themtor operation together substantially as specified.

JOHN J. SPEED, JR. JOHN A. BAILEY.

lVitnesses to J. J. Speed, Jr.s signature:

J. G. MASON, WM. TUsoH.

l/Vitnesses to Baileys signature:

CI-IAs. H. SPEED, CHAS. CROSMAN.

